In Your Arms
by OceansAria
Summary: *SPOILER ALERT: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK* Months have passed since MK's adventure in Moonhaven. She's on her own at college, trying to make a life for herself after helping her dad with his extensive research on the Leafmen. She had believed that this was what she wanted-college, then a job, then marriage. But there's only one person she'd like to share this new adventure with...
1. Prologue

**_A/N:_**_Hey guys! Soooo, guess what I saw yesterday? EPIC! And it truly was epic! I loved all of the animation (it looked so freakin' real!), the action, the adventure, and not to mention the love story! Nod is adorable and MK is awesome. _

_So, knowing me, I couldn't resist writing a fanfic...or the beginning. I know, I know, I haven't updated Of Sea and Stars in a while...but I'm trying! I actually forced myself to sit down for about half an hour the other night and write a page or two. Hopefully, this fanfic will tie your over until I get back on track with OSS!_

_Read and review, please!_

_XOXO, OceansAria_

* * *

_Prologue_

I was sitting in my dorm room, reading over my dad's latest letter. Even with all the technology surrounding him in our ancient, rickety house, he liked to use snail-mail to contact me while I was away at college. And his letters were never short. Since the Leafmen had let them into their world, he was finding new and incredible things day by day, and I was getting the full account of the past month.  
It was hard leaving Dad, especially after losing Mom not long before, and finally becoming close to him. We bonded over the Leafmen and their world that was so important to our own. After my adventure with Nod and Ronin, my eyes had been opened and I had realized that my dad had never been out of his mind. And if he was-well, then, we both were.  
Laughing to myself, I finished reading the letter, folded it neatly, and set it aside. Outside the window, snow fell in heavy heaps. The snow was piled up almost higher than my first floor window sill. Shivering, I slipped my feet into my boots and my arms into my coat. I hated having to cross the campus when the weather was like this-after living in the town of endless summer with my dad, I hated any type of weather below seventy-five degrees.  
With my bag over my shoulder and my hood on, I stepped out into the miniscule blizzard. Dad had warned me about the weather here up north, but I had thought it wouldn't be so bad. Turned out I was wrong.  
Thinking of Dad made me miss home so much, a physical ache started in my chest and spread to my throat and stomach. A hand squeezed my heart. The frigid air turned my nose bright pink and made my teeth chatter. I missed my home. I missed my dog and my dad's dorky way of life.  
And I missed talking to Nod.  
After I had "got big" again, Nod and I had communicated often through my dad's cameras all around the forest. It had been nice, but sometimes, it didn't seem like enough. I got to see him some in the forest, but I was still a "stomper" and he was still two inches tall. The new young queen could make me small again if I wanted, but I knew that my dad needed me, and that I had a life outside of Moonhaven. I was out of high school, and I had dreams I wished to fulfill.  
But that didn't stop me from missing Nod, and replaying our one kiss over and over in my mind.  
Not many people were out besides me in the courtyard. In fact, I was utterly alone. At my halfway point, I checked my watch and found that I was running late. Cursing under my breath, I quickened my pace. No wonder the courtyard was empty-everyone else was in class.  
I was proved wrong, however, when I reached the doors of my philosophy class in Building C, and found the note taped to the door. It was written in Mrs. Gail's crisp handwriting: Class is canceled due to the weather. Enjoy your one-day break.  
Even in writing she sounds harsh, I thought, pursing my lips. Sighing, I turned to face the storm once more. My feet were half-frozen and I could hardly feel my fingers in my coat pockets. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of a huge mug of hot chocolate and re-runs of I Love Lucy.  
The storm was calming a bit as I reached the entrance to my dorm. Obviously, everyone but me had gotten the memo about classes being cancelled. Irritated and freezing, I dug with my numb hands through my bag for my key. It wasn't there.  
Grumbling, I checked my pockets. The overhang above was not blocking me from the storm and I was pretty much a human popsicle.  
Just as I was about to go find the dorm manager for the spare, a familiar voice breathed warm breath in my ear. The glint of gold caught my eye, and the snow was no longing beating my back.  
"Looking for something?"


	2. Chapter One

**A/N**: Reaaally short first chapter, but I felt like I owed you guys. The rest will be longer, I promise!

Thanks for all the love on this story already!

XOXO, OceansAria

* * *

_Chapter One_

I spun around, scared out of my wits. What if it was a thief? I didn't have anything to defend myself! Or a serial killer? Again, nothing to defend myself besides a few Mentos and used tissues.  
But when my eyes focused on the figure in front of me, I realized that it was neither.  
He was tall, as he had always been-but _real world_ tall now. His chocolate brown eyes were filled with laughter and his mischievous smirk was just as I remembered it. His hair was the same tousled mess that I adored. And he was dressed in his armor-every inch of it from head to toe.  
"Nod!" I cried, completely forgetting the blizzard swirling around us as I jumped into his open embrace. "What are you _doing_ here? How are you normal size? How'd you find me?"  
He laughed. His lips brushed my cheek as we parted, and I felt my heart start to pound fast. "One question at a time, MK." He rubbed his arms and shivered. "And I'll preferably answer them inside."  
I retrieved the key from him and we entered my tiny dorm room to warm ourselves. I kicked the ancient heater so that it would run smoothly as I stepped out of my soggy boots. My cheeks were flushed with excitement now, and my heart was pounding wildly in my chest. He shook the snow from his hair and removed his shoes as he sat on my bed. As I watched him, I felt like I was stuck in one of my fantasies-the daydream world where I could be with him again in Moonhaven, where the real world faded away and didn't matter anymore.  
"So," I said, kneeling on the bed next to him, as that was the only place to sit besides my cluttered desk. "Tell me _everything_."  
Nod smiled mischeviously. He kicked back on my bed, stretching out his long, lean body, with his arms behind his head. I blushed, realizing there was a boy on my bed, in my room, alone. My dad would've fainted.  
He sighed, "Can I get a little shut-eye first? It was a long journey, MK."  
I shook my head. "No! You have to tell me how you became a stomper, like me."  
He chuckled. "Oh, great. I hadn't thought of that. Do I sound like a stomper, too?"  
"No," I giggled. "You sound normal." I nudged him as I laid down beside him on my stomach, my chin resting on my hands. My pulse was going crazy at our closeness. "Go on, tell me," I urged impatiently.  
Sighing once more, he began his tale. The young, new queen-her name was Daphine-had made me big again, like I mentioned before. She had been mastering her powers for months now, and had figured out not just how to make me stomper-sized again, but to make Nod, or any of the other Leafmen, that large as well. It took a lot of testing, patience, and time, but she finally got the hang of it. Nod was the first one to "get big" and enter the human world. The rest of the Leafmen refused the offer, including Ronin. They'd joked that there were already plenty of stompers out there, and not enough Leafmen.  
"Will you be able to turn back?" I asked when he had paused to catch a breath. "You know, shrink back down to your normal size?"  
He let out that breath slowly, like a balloon deflating. His expression turned grim for a moment, but then he brightened and I felt his fingers touch my chin gently.  
"I don't know," he replied softly. "But all that matters to me right now, is that I'm here with you."  
My ears turned pink. His brown eyes were mushy and sincere, and I felt like a puddle of melted goo. I decided to change to subject immediately.  
Shifting so that I was further away from him, I asked, "So, how'd you find your way to Princeton?"  
Nod extracted his hand and crossed both arms across his chest, as if wanting to change the subject too. "Oh, um, your dad helped me."  
"My dad?" I raised an eyebrow. "I had a feeling he was in the middle of this somehow."  
"Yeah, he helped me buy these things called 'plane tickets' and 'bus fare'."  
I laughed. "_You_ got here on a plane? I would have paid a million bucks to see that!"  
He scowled as I guffawed and shoved me playfully. I almost fell off the bed. "It was really scary at first, but by the end, I loved it. Oh, and the bus! It was so loud! And it smelled like decaying logs, if you ask me."  
He was dead serious at first, and I could hardly control my giggles. We both busted out laughing. After a while, the conversation turned to his own round of questions: _What's a college? What's class like? What does the word 'dorm' mean? Dormant volcano_? And so many more that by the time I was halfway done answering them, the snow was invisible in the twilight air, and my eyelids were drooping heavily. The room was warm, and he smelled like home, like the forest-like earth, air, and sky and the honeysuckle swaying in the summer breeze.  
"Go on to sleep, MK," he whispered when I didn't answer yet another question of his. I mumbled a protest, but he laughed and I felt his hand stroke my bangs off my forehead gently, causing electricity to spark wherever he touched. He shifted my head so that my cheek rested against his chest, and then, just as I was drowning in sleep, he said something that I didn't quite catch-but it sounded _so_ important.

Bright white sunlight split open my eyelids early the next morning. My feet were cold but my torso and face were toasty, and a second later, I realized why. Before I could scream, however, Nod popped his hand across my mouth and hissed, "It's me!"  
I calmed down instantly, but my heart was still stuttering. Being wrapped in his embrace had been pleasant, yet for some reason, I had forgotten that he was even there for a split second. Thinking of sleeping in his arms all night long made my cheeks burn. Blushing, I mumbled, "Sorry."  
He laughed, sitting up. His hair was messier than before. "It's okay. Just didn't want to get you in trouble-"  
Right then, there was a knock at the door. We both froze, shut up, and stared at the slab of wood like it would attack us. Who could it be? For a moment, I thought of Mandrake, but then I recalled his death and relaxed slightly. A second later came a voice that made my stomach churn.  
"Mary Katherine?"  
Mrs. Holbrook-the dorm "mom". I sighed and climbed off the bed. Nod made a move to follow me, but I held up my hand. "Stay here," I whispered. "Don't move or make a sound."  
He nodded slowly, then scooted back on the bed and froze again. Obviously, training with the Leafmen had taken an effect on him. He was much better with his stealth and self-control.  
I took a deep, cleansing breath before I unlocked and opened the door to reveal the tiny, frail, cross lady before me. Mrs. Holbrook looked like she was on the better side of eighty, with her reading glasses perched low on her nose and her white hair sticking up in every direction. Beady black eyes like a rat's glowered up at me like I was the dog crap on the bottom of her shoe she'd found after a nice walk through the park. If I hadn't been afraid of losing Nod, I would've laughed.  
"Mary Katherine," she repeated, her scratchy voice grating on my ears.  
"It's MK, Mrs. Holbrook," I corrected her for possibly the thousandth time that semester.  
She waved her hand aside like I was an annoying fly. "Mary Katherine, I was doing my morning patrol and handing out prescriptions when I heard what appeared to be a _manly_ voice coming from your room."  
I fidgeted unconsciously. _Crap_. We weren't supposed to have boys in our rooms-and if we did, we weren't supposed to get caught with said boys. I'd been good all semester, but Mrs. Holbrook had seemed to hate me from day one, and it was all because of how truly good I was 24/7. She suspected it was an act.  
"A boy?" I laughed nervously. "Pssh. No boys in my room, Mrs. H." I surreptitiously shifted so the door was between us, and not as widely opened. "It was just my TV. I was watching a . . . my favorite soap opera."  
_Soap opera? Seriously?_ I felt like smacking myself. A quiet snort came from the bed.  
Mrs. Holbrook frowned. "Well then. You know the rules. No loud music or TV shows, Mary Katherine. Is that clear?"  
I nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am. I promise to turn it down."  
With one last, long glare, she spun on the heel of her raggedy bunny slippers and left. I watched her pad back to her room on the other end of the hall before I gently shut the door, locked it back, and let out a huge sigh of relief.  
"Woo! _That_ was close!" Nod hooted, grinning manically.  
I laughed shortly. Before I could move towards my mini fridge to rummage around for some breakfast, my phone beeped from the nightstand.  
Nod grabbed it first. He twirled it around in his hands, confused. "What _is_ this little thing?"  
I snatched it from him and replied, "It's a cell phone, silly." Cursing, I stuffed my phone in my pocket. "And class is back on this morning. I have to be there in five minutes."  
"Class?" he perked up like a dog who heard the word 'play'. "You're going to class? Can I come, too?"  
"No," I answered, rushing over to my desk. I shoved my feet into my still squishy boots and grabbed my dry coat. "You wouldn't like it. It's long, boring, and you'd probably fall asleep."  
He made a sour face, watching me as I raced about. "Then why do you want to go?"  
"Because my dad paid for me to."  
"He _paid_ for boring classes? Are there any fun ones?"  
"Yes. Like pottery, or drama."  
"Ooh, pottery," he stood as he talked. "Making pots and then smashing them just for fun. Sounds awesome."  
"Yeah, it is." Suddenly, my coat had disappeared. It had just been in my hands, I swore it had-  
"Here." Nod held out my coat to me, ready for me to slip into. Just like with the key, he'd slipped it out of my grasp when I was least expecting it. Blushing, I threw my arms into the sleeves and zipped it up to my chin. He chuckled at the sight of me as I pulled a beanie down over my crazy bedhead hair. No time to brush it this morning.  
"What?" I grumbled when he continued to stare.  
He touched my nose with the tip of his finger. "You look adorable."  
Good thing my ears were out of sight-because they were on fire. "Oh, um, thanks. I guess."  
He laughed harder. "Adorable is a good thing."  
Gosh. I wanted to yell at him for making me blush so much.  
I backed up, reaching blindly for the doorknob, yet my eyes were still focused on his. My fingers bumped the knob. "Look, I'll be back in an hour and half and then we can hang out till my next class. There's leftover food in the fridge. The bathroom's that corner door, and there's a listing of TV channels beside the TV. If anyone knocks, don't answer, okay?" I felt like I was giving instructions to a kid.  
"Got it," Nod replied.  
Smiling at him, I leaned forward on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek, surprising the both of us. "See you after class."  
Then I squared my shoulders and headed out into the bright white world beyond.


	3. Chapter Two

**_A/N:_**_ Hey, guys! So, I'm blown away by the amount of love on this fanfic. I mean, almost 1,000 views in two days?! That's freaking awesome! You guys are amazing! And over 40 followers! WOW!_

_Thanks so much. I felt like I owed you guys another chapter, so this is what I've been working on for the past two hours...or more. I hope you enjoy! I will be posting the third chapter VERY soon, so keep an eye out! I love you all! Mwah!_

* * *

_Chapter Two_

Class _was_ extremely boring that day, even more than usual. The hour and a half dragged by like the time my dad had thought it was a good idea to film a document on a snail making its journey from place to place. It was a very long and slow day. Not to mention, we had a substitute who was older than Mrs. Holbrook and who would trail off in the middle of his sentence and just stare blankly at the class like we knew what he had meant to say. Half the class fell asleep ten minutes into the lecture, while I forced myself to take diligent notes, though that was hard since my teacher hardly understood what he was talking about. By the time the poor old man said, "Class dismissed", the only person still conscious was me - and drool was dripping down my chin.

The snow had started up again, the delicate snowflakes melting when they touched the warm window. I had seen it begin to fall when I was in class, drawing doodles on my pitiful notes. It wasn't as harsh as last night, but I still couldn't wait to return to the warmth and coziness of my dorm - and Nod.

_Nod_. My stomach twisted and I felt warmth spread from my cheeks down to the tip of my toes almost immediately. I felt tingly and lightheaded and fluttery. Not to sound cliche or anything, but the only guy who had ever made me feel that way was Nod. No, he wasn't the first guy I'd ever kissed. There had been a couple of boyfriends before him - Tom, Chris, and Jason. All of them had been nice guys - except Chris, who was a complete crybaby it turned out (and a jerk) - but none of them had made me feel like if I closed my eyes, I'd float away. Or like a furnace was burning in the pit of my stomach, surrounded by a roller coaster doing loopty-loops. Each of my boyfriends had lasted for a couple of months at the most, and then we'd grown apart. I always used the same old lame line: _It's not you, it's me_. Because it was. It really was. I had found that none of them had what I was looking for, so I had let them go.

I hugged myself, grinning uncontrollably as I crossed the courtyard, recalling just last night when I had jumped into Nod's arms without abandon. And then slept in those warm, strong arms. And then kissed his cheek, right after he'd called me adorable . . .  
I was falling hard, and fast. More like sinking. In Moonhaven, during our adventure, it had felt like a silly little crush I'd get over when I "got big" again. For weeks afterwards, I felt the same way about it. It was a crush that would die, then grow into yet another friendship. But when I left for college, I couldn't get him out of my head no matter what I did. No amount of college guys could take my mind off of the young Leafmen. And seeing him again had solidified my feelings - I was desperately, and quite stupidly, in love with him.

Sure, he was cocky and sometimes annoying, but I'd seen a softer side to him more than once. He'd lost his dad, who was also his hero and only remaining parent, when he was young and had no one to truly care for him the way a parent could for a long time. Ronin was his replacement father, but he was also busy, no matter that he loved Nod like his own son.

Nod was good with children, and he loved animals, including deer-  
_Whoa! Back up! Did I just think that he was 'good with children'? When did I start thinking about having kids with Nod?_! Flustered and blushing madly, I abandoned the train of thought that continued down that winding way and dug my key from my coat pocket, where Nod had put it for me last night. I hurriedly shoved the key in the lock and turned it. Throwing open the door, I glanced up and froze for the second time that day, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. My ears got hot beneath my beanie-and this time, it was a mix of anger and embarrassment.  
Sitting on the bed next to Nod, talking excitedly, was the only girl on my hall that I had avoided like the plague all year. She was the spreader of all wildfire rumors, the maker-upper of horrendous nicknames, and the storyteller of embarrassing moments. Her platinum blonde hair shone in the low light of the TV, which was turned to _Jeopardy_. Nod was laughing and the girl was throwing about her hands as she told her story, neither of them acknowledging that I was there. If only he knew what she was capable of.  
_Oh God. We're dead. Both of us. Mrs. Holbrook's going to kill us._  
"Anna?" I choked out, speaking the campus's top gossiper's name like it was a curse.  
The girl spun around, grinning still. "Hi, MK! Your friend here is _super_ nice!" She touched Nod's shoulder like they weren't strangers. "And not to mention cute!"  
Nod laughed, smirking. "I like this girl. She has a good taste in men."  
Both of them laughed, like they were sharing some sort of inside joke. Ugly black jealousy roused in my chest and I bit back a retort that had something along the lines of Anna being the biggest tramp around campus. I _hated_ being jealous. I shut the door, locked it, and faced them again. Anna, with her big blue eyes, stared up at me innocently. She was a trampy, but beautiful girl-short, voluptuous, and a gaudy sense of style. Her cheetah-print sweatsuit had her name embroidered in gold across the back, and her gold Puma's gave me the hee-bee gee-bees. _Think I'll stick with my hoodies and leggings, thank you very much._  
"Anna," I said as nicely as possible. Gosh, all I wanted to do was kick her out! "Please don't tell Mrs. Holbrook, or any of the other girls." She was also Mrs. Holbrook's favorite, meaning she got away with things the rest of us would be sent home for.  
"Don't worry, silly!" she giggled, her high-pitched voice annoying me. "Your secret's safe with me." She touched Nod's knee and whispered something in his ear, and they both laughed again. As they laughed, she wouldn't stop touching him in various places, (though nothing inappropriate), and suddenly I was raging like a bull who'd seen a red flag.  
"Okay, well, time for you to go," I growled, grabbing her wandering hands and pulling her to her feet. Surprised, she began to protest, but I had the door open and her on the other side before she could get out a word. She turned back, but I slammed the door in her face with, "Thanks for keeping our secret! See you in pottery!"  
Absolute silence. Finally, after a long minute, footsteps. Then a chuckle in my ear. Startled, I spun to face Nod, who was cracking up yet again - this time at me.  
"_What_?" I hissed, fists on my hips.  
He shrugged. "You're funny when you're jealous."  
My heart jumped like a fish out of water. I let my fists fall. "_Excuse_ me?" I squeaked, losing my gusto. "Who said anything about anybody being jealous?"  
Nod chuckled. "It's written all over your face."  
Great. I was blushing. I had just noticed it, too. Scowling, I shoved him towards my desk and stomped to my bed, trying to ignore how his abdomen had felt beneath my fingers. Lean and muscular and . . . _so not thinking about it!_  
He followed me to the bed, where he picked up the remote and shut off _Jeopardy_. Folding his legs, he said softly, "So, why don't you tell me about class? Was it really as boring as you said?"  
I tried not to smile; but it came anyway. "Yes. We had a substitute teacher, and he kept forgetting what he was saying."  
Another laugh. He ran his hands through his hair when the quiet stretched between us. "Um, Anna mentioned this thing called a 'coffee shop'. I was wondering, if we could, just maybe . . ." He trailed off, his brown eyes meeting mine. Immediately, my resolve melted. He looked like a begging puppy.  
Sighing, I reached for my purse. "All right. But you're not getting an espresso. I don't think you'd be able to handle the energy."  
"Me?" he scoffed, helping me back into my coat. "I can handle _anything_."

* * *

Two hours later, I was watching Nod run around the nearest park like a mad man. Upon trying to prove me wrong, he'd ordered a double-shot of espresso and gulped it all down. Now he was buzzing with more energy than he'd ever had before, and he didn't even seem to care about the blizzard coming down around us, or the fact that he was halfway frozen.

He dashed up to me where I stood under a tree, trying to stay out of the storm. Icicles were literally frosting on the tips of his hair and eyebrows, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"You look like Jack Frost," I said.

He shrugged, jumping from foot to foot. "C-Cool. H-Hey, can I-I have another e-espresso? P-Please?"

I shook my head. "No. Look at you! You're shaking like a Chihuahua!"  
He cracked a manic grin. "So? T-this is f-fun!"

Sighing, I grabbed his jittering arm. "C'mon. Let's get you back to my room. You'll need some aspirin when you calm down."

"W-Why?"

"Because you're going to have one heck of a headache."

Nod laughed again and rushed ahead, kicking up snow and startling sleeping pigeons in the tree branches. Waving his arms high over his head, he shouted, "I'll be just fine! You watch!"

Again, I laughed.

He was so naive.

He crashed not long after we got back to my room. I laughed the throughout the entire ordeal-as I helped him lay down on the bed, got him some aspirin and a glass of water, and peeled off his boots and outer armor.

"Still wet," he said through gritted teeth, clutching his head. "I'm gonna have to strip down to my underwear." Somehow, through his pain, he managed a cocky smile. "A sight I'm sure you would enjoy."

I turned my head to hide my blush. "You can take off your own clothes, buddy. I'm going to go get you an ice pack from Mrs. Holbrook, 'kay?"

He chuckled weakly in reply. When I left, he was struggling to pull his shirt over his head. Thankfully, he still didn't see my burning cheeks.

Mrs. Holbrook gave me her infamous supicious look when I asked for an ice pack. I faked a limp and told her that I had bashed my knee coming back from class. After a lengthy conversation, she finally gave it to me. As I turned to go, I bumped into someone, hard.

"Oops," I apologized, righting myself. "Sorry. Didn't see you there."

"It was my fault," the guy replied brusquely, stepping aside so that I didn't get a good look at his face. His voice was rough and deep, and the hood of his jacket covered everything but a few wisps of golden hair. Before I could ask him his name, he vanished, leaving me wondering if I'd truly seen him, or if my imagination had conjured the whole interaction.

Pushing aside the rush of my suspicions - mainly because I felt like Mrs. Holbrook - I returned to Nod, who'd fallen asleep beneath my comforter on his side, shirtless. I made sure he was comfortable before I sat down beside the bed, turned on the TV, and flipped through the channels until I found _I Love_ _Lucy_. Throughout the program and Nod's nap, however, I couldn't focus on a thing besides the fact that the guy I had bumped into-his voice, in the very least-had seemed familiar, yet I couldn't place it for the life of me.

* * *

Nod was awake when I returned from my pottery class, where Anna had pestered me the whole time with questions about my "new man". She'd never even bothered to acknowledge my existence before that - which had been fine by me. She was the type the flitted about from friend to friend, and boy to boy. More than once I had to tell her that Nod was _not_ my boyfriend, which seemed to make her very happy.

"He seemed to be such a nice boy," she'd tittered, shaping a small pot with her tiny, birdlike hands. Her platinum blonde hair was tied back in the perfect ponytail, whereas mine looked like a rat had nested in it, no matter what my beanie did to help. "Though, quite odd. He told me a lot about his job . . . I think he said something about working with a leaf blower?"

I had frozen for a second. _He didn't. _I then replied, "Oh, yeah. He's a, uh, landscaper." I mentally face-palmed myself.

She had frowned, but agreed. "Yeah, I think that was it. But he sure did have a weird uniform. It looked like armor made of leaves! Looks like his company takes their job seriously."

After we both set our pots out to be put in the kiln, class was dismissed and I was finally rid of her. Last I saw, she was clinging to the arm of the soccer captain and giggling at something he'd said. Hopefully, she wouldn't latch on to Nod like that.

Personally, I hated myself for being jealous. Anna was prettier than I was, and had more money to buy things to fix herself up. Even when my mom had offered to buy me make-up, I didn't know what to do with mascara and blush. All my life, I'd been called "cute" and "pretty", but never gorgeous or beautiful. Sometimes, I just wished that a guy would come along and find me that way.

I also hated pitying myself.

Nod called me out of my recent memories by sitting up, putting his head in his hands, and groaning loudly back in my room. I sat at the edge of the bed, toying with my laptop. I had an assignment due for English in less than a week, yet I was still procrastinating over my topic.

"Bad headache, huh?" I asked, eyes focused on my screen.

He moaned.

I smirked. "Told you so."

He lifted his head and shot me a glare through his fingers. Those brown eyes were warm even when meant to be ice cold. He glowered at me for a solid moment before he collapsed against the pillows again, hissing, "I officially hate coffee."

I laughed, patting his knee through the thick, floral print comforter. "Don't say that. Once you try normal coffee with a splash of milk and some sugar, you'll become just as addicted as I am."

He groaned in response. "Yeah. Whatever." He threw his arm across his eyes and the other across his chest. He rubbed at his bare skin for a silent moment as I typed '_Good English paper topics_' into the Google search engine. "Do you have anything to eat in that tiny magic box of yours?"

For a second, I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Then I bursted out laughing. "You mean the mini fridge?"

He scowled. "The mini _what_?"

"Fridge. Short for refrigerator. It's like a box that keeps things fresh." I shut down my laptop and slid it off my lap as I stood. I straightened my clothes and bent to open the fridge, peering inside. "Um, let's see here. I've got some spaghetti from the amazing little Italian deli down the street . . . one supreme burrito . . . some Chinese take-out, and a couple of moldy slices of pizza." I glanced at him over my shoulder. "You pick."

"Moldy pizza sounds nice," he chuckled. He looked like heaven from my point of view. "What is pizza, anyway?"

"It's a dish with crust, tomato sauce, cheese, and any toppings you like," I replied as I retrieved the Chinese take-out box and the leftover spaghetti. I shut the door with my foot. "Chinese and Italian it is! I'll be right back. The communal microwave's down the hall in the rec room. Don't go anywhere."

He smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."

I smiled, feeling my cheeks heat.

As I opened the door, he asked, "But, um, what does the microwave do?"

I grinned wider. "Do you want to come see for yourself?"

He moved to stand, then blushed and pulled the comforter higher around his bare torso-which was tanned, tight, and sort-of drool worthy. I felt like such a swooning _girl_, catching him half-naked like this.

"Um, how about I put on my clothes and meet you there?" he suggested almost sheepishly, which was comical in my eyes.

I giggled. "Sure. Just don't let Mrs. Holbrook see you. She does her hourly rounds, and it's almost seven."

He glanced at the clock like it was Mrs. Holbrook herself, and I laughed. In the past twenty-four hours, I'd laughed more than I had all semester.

Having him around sure was fun.

* * *

_Please review!_

_XOXO, OceansAria_


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: **SUPER short chappie here, y'all. I hate to do it to y'all in a way, but at the same time, I know I owe ya! You've been so sweet and loving to this story-with 70 follows, like 40 faves, and almost 2,500 views! I am just blown away! I never imagine getting so much love on a story so fast!

I will finish the next (longer) chappie hopefully by Monday and post it. Idk, because I'm getting my braces off Monday morning (HALLELUJAH!), and I'll be busy that day. Don't have me if don't update till Tuesday.

Oh, and to the Guest that told me I was right on track (their words were: "If this isn't the contunuation of the Epic saga I don't know what is"), and that I was portraying MK and Nod wonderfully, thank you SOOOOOO MUCH. Since you're a guest, I couldn't send you a message, so here's a shoutout!

Please review!

XOXO, OceansAria

* * *

_Chapter Three_

That night, Nod and I had a little tiff over who slept where. I volunteered to take the floor, but he protested and said that it was my bed, therefore he would sleep on the floor. Then I retorted that he was my guest and should have the bed. Somehow, we both ended up sleeping on the floor on either side of the bed. The floor was cold and hard, and I heard him groaning and sighing as he tried to get comfortable.  
"This isn't working for me," he hissed in the dark, about half an hour after we had settled down for the night. "If you're not gonna take the bed, then I will."  
"Fine," I huffed, crossing my arms.  
"But," he said. He moaned again as he shifted. "I'm still letting the offer stand for you to take it."  
I flipped my hand in the air exasperatedly. "You're the guest."  
"You're the girl."  
I propped myself up on my elbows, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the darkness. "What does _that_ have to do with anything?"  
"One thing that Ronin taught me: always let the girl go first." I could hear the shrug in his tone.  
I rolled my eyes, glaring up at the ceiling. "And I thought chivalry was dead."  
He laughed softly, grunting once more when I heard a thud that must have been him moving about. "Not in Moonhaven." Silence. Shifting. "So, are you gonna take the bed or not?"  
I sighed. "You're the guest."  
"And you're the girl," he said, chuckling. "We've been through this already."  
"Seven times tonight, I think," I replied, laughing as I settled back against my pillow on the floor. I pulled my thin blanket up to my chin and shivered uncontrollably. My teeth chattered in my skull like it was hollow.  
"I'm freezing my arse off over here, MK," he grumbled.  
_Join the club_. My stubborn pride would get me frozen to death. I fought to keep my jaw from quivering. The heater was clonking along, but there was barely enough to keep warm without my thick comforter and flannel sheets.  
He became silent for another long moment, then, I heard him rise from the floor clumsily, kicking aside his blankets. "That's it. If you're not gonna take the bed, then I am."  
I shrugged. "F-Fine," I chattered out.  
Moonlight glanced off his eyes as he moved to get into the bed, when he caught sight of me and his features seemed to soften from their hardened resolve. His brown eyes were almost a sweet caramel in the light, and he sighed again.  
"You're freezing your arse off too."  
"I'm all right," I protested weakly, trying not to meet his eyes. But they were like magnets, or a fishing net, tangling around me and pulling me in close.  
He shook his head. He ambled over to me, and my heart started to jump around like a kangaroo. Nod bent, gently removed my blanket, and then held out his hands to me. "C'mon. Let's get you warmed up."  
Blushing uncontrollably, I took his offered hands, wondering what on earth he was about to do. He tucked me in under my comforter like I was a child, then smiled at me, chuckling at my strange-and confused-expression.  
"There ya go," he whispered. "Now you're snug as a bug in a rug."  
I laughed sorrowfully. "My mom used to say that."  
He stroked my bangs back from my face. "Did she really? Then I'm honored." Nod turned as he were going to leave.  
Alarmed, I asked, "Where are you going?"  
He smiled placatingly. "No where. I'll take the floor, like the wonderful gentleman I am, as I planned all along."  
Now that I was under the covers, I was warm and drowsy. I nodded sleepily, yawning. My pride didn't get in the way when I said, "You have fun with that."  
He laughed. The last thing I remember before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep, was the sound of his laughter, and his brown eyes, warm like honey, flashing in the moonlight.


End file.
